Lucky Dog
by TheBlueOneTried
Summary: 'He felt that he was not really honest with himself. If he could completely forget about Cersei for a few minutes, he would be able to judge the situation objectively.' or After Brienne saves a stray dog, Jaime learns something new about her, and about his own feelings. Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

 **'He felt that he was not really honest with himself. If he could completely forget about Cersei for a few minutes, he would be able to judge the situation objectively.'**

 **or**

 **After Brienne saves a stray dog, Jaime learns something new about her, and about his own feelings.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones  
**

* * *

 **Lucky Dog  
**

* * *

The weather has changed rapidly. It was warm now. Warm enough to be stuffy in the small room they sat in.

The presence of their new, stinky companion didn't make it much better. Brienne's new companion, to be precise.

It was a dog, probably white, but it looked gray with all the dirt in it's fur. She saved it yesterday from drowning in a cold river.

Jamie stood up to open a small, shabby window.

As he passed by, otherwise sluggish animal growled at him.

"Shhh… Keep quiet." Brienne admonished and lifted it from the floor.

Jaime sat back down and looked at the small dog on Brienne's lap. It was almost dead from starvation.

Brienne stroked its head gently while feeding it with small bits of meat.

It was remarkable how gently she handled the animal.

"What are you staring at?"

Was he really staring?

"It's going to die. You should have left it there." He said.  
"It looks so stiff, like it could die any minute. Can't you see it is sick?"

"If you would have been starving for days, you would behave the way she does."

"So it's a she."

The dog didn't look like a female. It had no grace, no beauty. It's tangled fur was probably full of fleas.

"What made you so protective all of a sudden?"

He never saw her being so protective over a human before. Perhaps except for ladies Stark.

Hearing no reply, Jaime continued.  
"Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. You, women, do have soft hearts."

Brienne send him an offended look.

"Saving her has nothing to do with my gender. A true knight would not abandon a creature in need, human or animal."

Jaime looked away.  
"It doesn't matter. Your efforts are pointless, she will die anyway. I only hope it will happen before she transmits any disease to us."

Brienne put the dog down and stood up herself.  
"We will see. If you are so bothered by her, perhaps you should go to your room already."

They occupied two rooms in the inn. Brienne was supposed to sleep in the one with door opening onto corridor. Second room, which could be entered only through the first, was Jaime's.

Reluctantly, he got up.

"Good night, Lady Brienne."

* * *

Right after coming into the moonlit room, he sat on a creaking bed and pulled a bottle from underneath it.  
He took a considerable sip of a fiery liquid.

A quick thought came to his mind. Even if the dog was going to die, it was lucky. Luckier than him, at least. It could stay in the room with Brienne. Suddenly he felt that it would have been so much better if they had to share just one room.

He paused for a minute, looking at the dark bottle in his hands. No, he didn't drink a lot. And there wasn't enough time for alcohol to kick in.

So where did those thoughts come from?

He loved Cersei, and will soon be with her, and then he will forget about Brienne. He will not remember her at all.

Interestingly, it was in Brienne's company he seemed to think about his sister less frequently. Not that he forgot about her, but let himself have his own wants, aside from making her happy.

He felt that he was not really honest with himself. If he could completely forget about Cersei for a few minutes, he would be able to judge the situation objectively.

Forget about her just for a few minutes…

His gaze wandered to the bottle in his hands. He took another sip.

* * *

After a few minutes, he was lying down on the semi-clean bedsheet, staring at the ceiling.

He couldn't completely forget his sister. But she was far away. Like a distant memory, covered in dust in some remote corners of his memory.

And right behind the door, there was a woman to whom he was attracted, and he could no longer deny that.

But as much as he wanted, he wouldn't go to her, because that wasn't what she would like. It could only be a fling, short-lived affair. He couldn't give her true commitment, which she certainly deserved.

Nonetheless, he had to use all of his willpower to remain in bed and sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
**

* * *

The dog didn't die that night. Or any other night.

In fact, it started looking more like a dog than a rat, what must have been a good sign.

The animal was growing more and more attached to her savior, but stayed hostile towards Jaime.

Maybe there was some truth in the rumors that animals feel if someone is a good person, after all.

Consider the horses, for example.  
They were all so steady and calm when Brienne was stroking them, as they were preparing for departure.

"You don't like dogs." She observed, a note of amusement in her voice.

"They don't like me either." He answered.

"They feel your resentment." She met his gaze and saw a silent acceptance in them. "Why?"

"Why I dislike them?"

She nodded.

"Oh, I have a good reason. I was bitten as a child."

"So, you are simply afraid."

"Not afraid!" He snapped, "I'm just… uninterested in any interactions with them."

Brienne raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh, come on, you could touch her. It's not like she is going to bite you!"

"I told you I am not afraid. I simply don't want to. And I am sure she wouldn't enjoy that either." He nodded at the dog who was watching them innocently.

Brienne walked over to her and picked her up. Before he knew it, she was back with the dog mere inches from him.

"Come on, she is just a puppy. Touch her, just once."

Jaime felt torn between the want to get his way and the want to satisfy Brienne. Only now he realized how close to him she was standing. The dog was the only thing between them.

Hesitantly, he stroked the animal once.

"Wasn't that hard, was it?" She beamed at him.

She put the dog on the ground and wanted to step aside, but an arm on her elbow stopped her. It was her turn to realize how close they stood. This closeness could mean only two things: anger or… affection. Did she just cross some unofficial line? But Jaime's face looked kinder than ever.

He had beautiful eyes, she noticed.

Seeing her surprised look, his grip on her arm softened.

"You know, I didn't mean to be disrespectful when I said that women have soft hearts,"  
he said seriously.  
"Surely, not all women do,"  
he added quickly, a picture of his sister suddenly crossing his mind,  
"But I am glad that you do, Lady Brienne. It doesn't make you an inferior warrior. It only makes you a better human. It shows that you possess all the qualities of a true, noble knight."

Their eyes were locked. Something has changed between them, and if Jaime leaned a bit closer, he could change their relationship for good. He could show her what he really meant by all these words by an act more meaningful than anything he said.

And then, the moment was over. Brienne took a step back.

"I… thank you, I guess. I didn't know you thought about me so kindly."  
She said, as if she didn't notice what just happened, yet her eyes were downcast and her cheeks were blushed.

"I respect you," Jaime said, and walked away, as if proving his own words.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

It will be all over soon. They will be parting in a few days, and he could simply go back to normal.

Or could he?

Instead of relief he could only feel dread as days passed by.

There isn't much time. But it will have to be enough.

* * *

Maybe the lady knight had an intuition similar to that of her four-legged companion, and that was the reason why she kept her distance from him.

It soon became clear that by gaining the little beast's trust, he could gain her owner's favor.

 _Come on, you can do it,_ he told himself, _she is nothing like the hound that bit you._

But it was easier said than done. Neither he, nor the said 'beast' wanted to get involved in any interaction. He almost felt offended. The dog would never trust him, but she adored Brienne, so they had at least one thing in common.

However, Jaime refused to give up and took a different tactic. The beast had a weak spot for snacks. Now that she gained weight, she seemed to always be hungry. By giving her parts of his meals he managed to at least make her tolerate his presence. Brienne would scold him for feeding her excessively.

"She's been nearly starved. Eating so much at once will cause her more harm than good," she would say.

Sneaky beast soon realised that if she wanted to eat more, she _had to_ ask Jaime for food, as she wouldn't be spoiled by the blonde woman. Mindful of Brienne's words, he never overfed her, but decided that giving her a little bit more food will not hurt, as long as the blue eyes of her owner were directed elsewhere.

Of course, he wanted her to look when he tried to pet or befriend the dog at any other occasion. It proved to be hard to achieve, as the creature turned out to be unappreciative and avoided him as much as she could, and also the Maid of Tarth didn't seem to notice how hard he tried.

Or maybe even worse, the harder he tried, the more she ignored his actions. She rarely looked in his direction overall. A cold wave of disappointment went over him every time she averted her gaze. He wondered if she was startled by him showing interest in her. Have they gone through all of it, managed to see past the initial dislike and form something resembling friendship only for him to ruin it in one moment? But he didn't even do anything!

At first he thought that she didn't realize what he meant. He smiled slightly at the thought. Being an accomplished warrior did not make her experienced in the matters of love. There was a certain innocence about her, but if this was the case, why would she start avoiding him? Her behaviour had certainly changed after the "petting incident".

There was another possibility, one that he dramatically refused to believe in.  
She was too noble to tell it to his face, but maybe she simply deemed him unworthy. She only viewed him as a 'creature in need', and as such, she only pitied him, nothing more. Jaime Lannister was not used to rejection. He was desired by countless maidens in the realm, and now the one he actually desired would turn him down. At first it sounded ridiculous, even more so knowing that Brienne herself was not considered to be a classical beauty. But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

One of the most noble-minded women alive and a Man Without Honor.

Now, that sounded like a ridiculous idea.

* * *

Winter reluctantly gave way to Spring. While it was warm all day long, now it was getting colder by a minute. Brienne lit a bonfire before tending to the horses. Their coats glistened in the light from the flames as she brushed dirt from it. She took her time working, moving on to checking the supplies after being done with the animals.

Brienne deliberately kept her eyes from looking into the direction of the fire, where her companion sat.

She was confused. Confused by his behavior, and even more so, by her own reaction to it.

Certainly they grew to respect each other, and Jaime even voiced that. But if so, why would he pull such cruel prank on her? Because surely there was no way he could develop genuine interest in her.

Brienne was not ignorant. She has heard of Cersei's beauty, and if it by any means matched her twin brother's handsomeness, it must be astonishing. However improper the relationship between the two of them could be, if Cersei's appearance could be any indication of what type of women Jaime liked, there was nothing interesting in Brienne for him. Not that there was much in her that could draw anyone's attention, really.

The lady knight was in the middle of checking the horses for the third, completely unnecessary time. She sighed. By no means was she ready to confront him, but it was quite enough of useless supply checking.  
She turned around to see Jaime sitting by the fire. Staring into the flames, his face was lit up, expression unreadable. Hesitantly, she moved forward, reluctantly joining him, but quickly directing her eyes to the flames. She would not look at him.


End file.
